Pinal County attorney defends mass firing as cultural shift

by Lindsey Collom - Jan. 3, 2013 11:23 PMThe Republic | azcentral.com

New Pinal County Attorney Lando Voyles defended his firing this week of a dozen employees -- most are attorneys -- in one of his first official acts, saying that personnel changes are necessary to change the office's culture.

A statement issued by Voyles' office Thursday said the county attorney is committed to changing "the deep rooted culture within this office of releasing violent offenders," a contention that Voyles had made during his campaign but that statistics have yet to bear out.

He also cited an investigation into alleged employee theft as motivation for some of the terminations. Neither Voyles nor his chief deputy, Richard Wintory, would provide additional information Thursday.

However, details did emerge about what some in the legal community are calling the "Pinal County Massacre," in which at least a dozen Pinal County Attorney's Office employees were told of their impending termination by phone Monday afternoon.

County officials said Voyles targeted at least 16 employees for termination, including four who had already submitted resignations or were slated to retire with the arrival of a new administration. The dozen who were notified Monday included nine attorneys: three in the charging bureau, two in drug crimes, two trial attorneys, one in the civil bureau and one attorney who oversaw prosecution of sex crimes, juvenile crimes and domestic violence. The remaining three employees who were terminated oversaw finance, victims services and community outreach.

In his statement, Voyles, 41, who has been practicing law since 2003, said, "Some of the dismissed individuals deserve credit for a good career in prosecution." The attorneys alone have more than 200 years of experience combined, according to state Bar records.

The statement went on to criticize the previous administration for its "lackadaisical style of prosecution" and cited potential employee misconduct as proof of mismanagement.

Voyles said his office is investigating a theft by an employee, and he blamed previous management for "allowing this theft to go on for an undetermined amount of time and for an undetermined dollar amount."

Voyles said all managers responsible for supervising the suspect "could not be allowed to remain employed in my office."

Former County Attorney James Walsh said Thursday that his successor is unfairly tarnishing the reputations of former employees.

Walsh said the investigation Voyles referred to was initiated in the fall -- when Walsh was still in office -- after someone discovered potential irregularities in the handling of restitution payments and associated fees. Walsh said he immediately asked the Casa Grande Police Department to investigate and hired an independent forensic investigator.

When faced with administrative leave, Walsh said, the employee chose to resign. He said the employee's immediate supervisor, who was terminated by the new administration, answered directly to Walsh.

At last check, Walsh said, the investigation was not complete. The Arizona Republic was unable to confirm the status of the investigation Thursday.

"There was no other financial irregularity in the office, and anybody who says there is is lying," Walsh said. "This has got to stop. He's entitled to come in, he's entitled to treat people as miserably as he wants, but he doesn't get to lie about people, and he doesn't get to lie about the work that was done before he came in."